Heartbreak Makes You More Suicidal

Posted on May 27, 2014

According to a new research by the Australian National University's Center for Mental Health Research and the Center for Research on Ageing, Health and wellbeing, individuals who have recently seen the end of a de-facto relationship or marriage have a higher tendency to have suicidal thoughts.

Based on the results of the research, the trauma of the separation coupled with the ripple effect and subsequent changes that it impacts on one's daily life may prove to be too much, especially within the first year.

"The prevalence of suicidal thoughts among recently separated men and women is three times higher than for those who remain married, or in de-facto relationships," said Dr Philip Batterham of the ANU Centre for Mental Health Research, the study's lead author.

Through the report, Batterman and his team emphasised the importance of having support systems in place to provide the necessary services and the all-too-critical early intervention. He goes on to say that there is a "need for governments and health services to better target mental health services to people who have recently separated from a marriage or a relationship."